Two Minute Noodles

November 22, 2013

There is nothing quite as enjoyable on a bike tour as a breakfast break. You've put on a few miles or kilometers, your body and mind are alert, and your taste buds are tingling. You park your bike outside a diner and go in, look at a menu, order coffee or tea, and wait. It generally doesn't take long, ten to fifteen minutes. But when you are bike trip hungry, minutes feel like hours.

In Myanmar, breakfast was fast. Choosing which street-side food stall or larger sit down establishment, was a quick scan of the street and going with which place was the most popular with the locals. No menu necessary. The items are all being prepared before your eyes. Glance over at a table of locals. See what looks best. Smile. Point the dish out to your cook, and breakfast is literally two minutes away. On this particular morning, the noodle soup looked and smelled divine. It was.

Roadside Noodles—Myanmar from Willie Weir on Vimeo.

In fact, it was worth a second helping. Since our table had a great view of town coming to life, we ordered a plate of pakoras and two cups of sweet, thick Burmese tea, sat back, and watched the parade of life.

Breakfast served fast, but eaten slowly — one of life's true pleasures!

Photos by Willie Weir and Kat Marriner

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SIGHTS AND SOUNDS is posted every other Friday. Willie Weir is a columnist for Adventure Cyclist magazine. His latest book Travels with Willie: Adventure Cyclist will inspire you to hit the road and just might change the way you approach bicycle travel. He lives in Seattle with his wife Kat. You can read about their adventures at http://yellowtentadventures.com.